System for generating drone video feed overlays based on property monitoring system data

ABSTRACT

A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property is disclosed. The monitoring system includes a sensor that is configured to generate sensor data that reflects an attribute of a property. The monitoring system further includes a drone that generates image data, location data, and orientation data. The monitoring system further includes a monitor control unit. The monitor control unit is configured to receive the sensor data, the location data, and the orientation data. The monitor control unit is configured to determine that an event has occurred at the property and a location of the event within the property. The monitor control unit is configured to generate a graphical overlay based on the event, the location data, and the orientation data. The monitor control unit is configured to generate a graphical interface. The monitor control unit is configured to output the graphical interface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application 62/716,318,filed Aug. 8, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to monitoring systems.

BACKGROUND

A central station often takes steps to verify whether a detected alarmevent at property is an actual alarm or a false alarm. In conventionalsystems, a central station operator will communicate with a propertyoccupant through a communication unit of a monitoring system controlunit, or other form of control panel, to ask a property occupant whetherthe detected alarm event at the property is an actual alarm or a falsealarm. Alternatively, or in addition, a central station operator maycall a property occupant on a landline telephone or mobile cellularphone to ask the property occupant whether the detect alarm event at theproperty is an actual alarm event or a false alarm.

SUMMARY

According to an innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis application, a monitoring system is configured to monitor aproperty. The monitoring system includes a sensor that is configured togenerate sensor data that reflects an attribute of a property; a drone(i) that includes a camera that is configured to generate image data and(ii) that is configured to generate location data that indicates alocation of the drone and orientation data that indicates an orientationof the drone; and a monitor control unit. The monitor control unit isconfigured to receive the sensor data; receive the location data and theorientation data; based on the sensor data, determine that an event hasoccurred at the property and a location of the event within theproperty; generate a graphical overlay based on the event, the locationdata, and the orientation data; generate a graphical interface bycombining the image data and the graphical overlay; and provide, foroutput, the graphical interface.

These and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The monitor control unit is configured todetermine that the image data does not include a representation of thelocation of the event; and determine a relative location between thelocation of the event and a portion of the property depicted in theimage data; generate the graphical overlay by generating an arrow basedon the relative location between the location of the event and theportion of the property depicted in the image data; and generate thegraphical interface by adding the arrow to the image data such that thearrow points in a direction of the event. The monitor control unit isconfigured to determine that an event has occurred at the property and alocation of the event within the property by determining a path that aperson has traveled through the property; determine the image dataincludes a representation of the location of the path; generate thegraphical overlay by generating a line based on the path; and generatethe graphical interface by adding the line to the portion of the imagedata that includes the representation of the location of the path. Themonitor control unit is configured to determine that the image dataincludes a representation of the location of the event; generate thegraphical overlay by generating an location marker based on determiningthat the image data includes the representation of the location of theevent; and generate the graphical interface by adding the locationmarker to the representation of the location of the event in the imagedata. The monitor control unit is configured to provide the graphicalinterface by providing the graphical interface to a drone control systemthat is configured to receive navigation instructions for the drone. Themonitor control unit is configured to determine that the event hasoccurred at the property and the location of the event within theproperty by determining that an alarm event has occurred at theproperty; and generate the graphical overlay by generating the graphicaloverlay based on determining that the alarm event has occurred at theproperty. The monitor control unit is configured to receive, from thedrone, additional location data that indicates that the drone is in adifferent location and additional orientation data that indicates adifferent orientation of the drone; based on the event, the additionallocation data, and the additional orientation data, generate anadditional graphical overlay; generate an additional graphical interfaceby combining the image data and the additional graphical overlay; andprovide, for output, the additional graphical interface. The monitorcontrol unit is configured to generate the graphical interface by, basedon the event, the location data, and the orientation data, determining aposition on the image data to overlay the graphical overlay; andoverlaying the graphical overlay on the image data at the determinedposition. The monitor control unit is configured to determine that anevent has occurred at the property and a location of the event withinthe property by determining a path that a person is likely to travelthrough the property; determine the image data includes a representationof the location of the path that the person is likely to travel;generate the graphical overlay by generating a line based on the paththat the person is likely to travel; and generate the graphicalinterface by adding the line to the portion of the image data thatincludes the representation of the location of the path that the personis likely to travel. The drone is a controlled by a human viewing thegraphical interface.

Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems,apparatus, and computer programs recorded on computer storage devices,each configured to perform the operations of the methods.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a contextual diagram of system for generating drone video feedoverlays based on property monitoring system data.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process for generating drone video feedoverlays based on property monitoring system data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of system components that can be used toimplement a system for generating drone video feed overlays based onproperty monitoring system data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a contextual diagram of monitoring system 100 for generatingdrone video feed overlays based on property monitoring system data. Themonitoring system 100 may include a monitoring system control unit 110,one or more sensors 120, 122, one or more cameras 130, 132, 134, 136,one or more drones 140-1, 140-2, 140-n (wherein “n” is any positiveinteger greater than 0), one or more drone charging stations 142-1,142-2, 142-n, one or more drone control systems such as a laptop 120-1,a smartphone 120-2, or a virtual reality headset 120-n (wherein “n” isany positive integer greater than 0), one or more networks 170, amonitoring application server 190, a central alarm station server 192,or any combination thereof.

A monitoring system control unit 110 (or monitoring application server190) may monitor sensor data, camera data, or both, that are generatedby monitoring system components such as sensors 120, 122, cameras 130,132, 134, 136, or a combination thereof. The monitoring system controlunit 110 (or monitoring application server 190) may be able todetermine, based on the sensor data, camera data, or both, whether totrigger an alarm indicating that an alarm event has been detected at theproperty 101.

For example, a monitoring system control unit 110 (or monitoringapplication server 190) may obtain camera data (e.g., image, video, orthe like) that includes one or more images (i) captured by a camera 130,132, 134, or 136 installed at the property 101 and (ii) depicting ahuman object such as a trespasser 105 at the property 101. Themonitoring system control unit 110 (or monitoring application server190) may compare the captured image of the human object to stored imagesof persons authorized to access the property 101. In someimplementations, the monitoring system 100 may determine whether totrigger an alarm based on the comparison of captured images to storedimages of persons authorized to access the property 101.

For example, responsive to determining that a captured image depicts ahuman object that is not authorized to access the property 101, whilethe monitoring system 100 is armed, the monitoring system control unit110 (or monitoring application server 190) may trigger an alarm event.The monitoring system 100 may determine that a captured image depicts ahuman object that is not authorized to access the property 110 if thedepicted human object does not match any stored images of personsauthorized to access the property 101.

Alternatively, for example, if it is determined that a captured imagedepicts a human object that is authorized to access the property 101,while the monitoring system 100 is armed, then the monitoring systemcontrol unit 110 (or monitoring application server 190) may determine tonot trigger an alarm event. The monitoring system 100 may determine thata captured image depicts a human object that is authorized to access theproperty 110 if the depicted human object does match one or more storedimages of persons authorized to access the property 101.

However, the monitoring system 100 is also capable of triggering analarm based on an analysis of one or more images in other ways thanperforming a comparison of a captured image to a stored set of one ormore images. Instead, the monitoring system 100 may use one or moreimage models to determine whether a captured image depicts an object,whose detection, should trigger an alarm event.

By way of example, a component of the monitoring system 100 such as themonitoring system control unit 110, the monitoring application server190, or a camera such as camera 130, 132, 134, or 136 may store an imagemodel. The image model may include a model that represents an object oran image of the object. For example, the image model may include a setof image features identifying an object that are extracted from an imageof the object, a neural network that has been trained to determinewhether a received image depicts a particular object, or the like. Thecomponent of the monitoring system 100 storing the image model may thenobtain one or more images, and then determine, using the image model,whether one or more obtained images are within a predetermined level ofsimilarity to the image represented by the image model.

In some implementations, the stored image model may represent an objectthat, once detected, should trigger an alarm event. For example, thestored image model may depict a person who has a warrant out for his orher arrest. Accordingly, if the monitoring system component determinesthat a captured image matches the stored image model within apredetermined level of similarity, then the monitoring system componentmay trigger an alarm event. In these instances, detection of an objectthat is not sufficiently similar to the stored image model may nottrigger an alarm event.

In other implementations, a monitoring system component may storemultiple image models that each represent object that, once detected,should not trigger the occurrence of an alarm event. For example, themonitoring system component may store an image model representing eachlawful occupant of the property. Accordingly, in such instances, amonitoring system component may not trigger an alarm upon determiningthat an obtained image falls within a predetermined level of similarityto the stored image model, even if the monitoring system is armed.Moreover, in such implementations, the monitoring system may beconfigured to trigger an alarm event when an image of an object thatdoes not match the stored image model of authorized users.

The monitoring system 100 may be fully customizable such that a user caninput alarm triggering criteria for each stored image model thatindicates the image model, a type of image model (e.g., depicting anobject that is authorized, depicting an object that is unauthorized),whether detection of an image depicting an object represented by themodel should trigger an alarm, whether detection of an image depictingan object not represented by one or more stored image models shouldtrigger an alarm, any combination thereof, or the like. The stored imagemodels may be uploaded by a property occupant using a user device.Alternatively, the stored image models may be downloaded to themonitoring system components from a remote source such as another,different component of the monitoring system 100.

In other instances, the monitoring system 100 may trigger an alarm basedon sensor data. For example, a monitoring system control unit 110 (ormonitoring application server 190) can monitor sensor data generated byone or more sensors such as motion sensors 120, 122 to determine whetherto trigger an alarm event. The sensors monitored by one or morecomponents of the monitoring system 100 may be inside, or outside, theproperty 101. In some implementations, the monitoring system controlunit 110 (or monitoring application server 190), when the monitoringsystem 100 is armed, can trigger an alarm based on a detection of sensordata generated by a motion sensor that is indicative of motion within apredetermined distance of the motion sensor. Similarly, the monitoringsystem control unit 110 (or monitoring application server 190) cantrigger alarms based on the detection of other types of sensor data, ifthe one or more other types of sensor data are generated by othersensors when the monitoring system 100 is armed. For example, themonitoring system control unit 110 (or monitoring application server190) can trigger an alarm in response to detection of sensor datagenerated by a contact sensor indicating that a door or window hasopened, sensor data generated by a glass break sensor indicating thatglass has been broken, sensor data generated by a smoke detectorindicating that smoke has been detected, or the like when the monitoringsystem 100 is armed.

For purposes of this disclosure, a monitoring system 100, one or more ofits monitoring system components including a monitoring system controlunit 110, monitoring application server 190, or both, may be consideredarmed if the monitoring system is configured to trigger an alarmresponsive to one or more attributes detected by the monitoring systemthat are indicative of an event (e.g., an image captured by a cameradepicting a non-authorized person, motion detected by a motion sensor,opening of a door or window detected by a contact sensor, breaking ofglass detected by a glass break sensor, or the like). In someimplementations, the monitoring system 100, or one or more of itsmonitoring system components, may become armed responsive to a userrequest to arm the monitoring system 100, or one or more of itsmonitoring system components.

Responsive to the triggering of an alarm based on a detected alarmevent, the system 100 may perform one or more operations to verifywhether an actual alarm event is occurring at the property 101. Forexample, a central station operator can try to communicate with aproperty occupant using the monitoring system control unit 110, alandline telephone, mobile telephone, or the like in an attempt toverify whether an actual alarm event is occurring at the property 101.Alternatively, or in addition, a central station operator may try tocapture camera data from one or more cameras 130, 132, 134, 136installed at the property 101 and analyze the captured camera data toverify whether an actual alarm event is occurring at the property 101.In yet other implementations, one or more components of the monitoringsystem 100 may use a fleet of drones 140-1, 140-2, 140-n (where “n” isany positive integer) to verify an alarm event.

Each drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n of the fleet of one or more drones 140-1,140-2, 140-n may each piloted by a human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n. Insome implementations, each drone 140-1, 140-2 may be housed at the samelocation 115-1, 115-2 as the pilot 110-1, 110-2 for the drone. In someimplementations, the same location may include a drone location that iswithin a predetermined distance of the human pilot. In someimplementations, the same location may include a drone location that iswithin view (e.g., a line of sight) of the human pilot.

In other implementations, the drone 140-n may be housed at a locationthat is remote from the location 115-n of the human pilot 110 n that isto pilot the drone 140-n. In some implementations, being remote from thelocation of the human pilot may include the drone being located morethan a predetermined distance from the human pilot. In someimplementations, being remote from the location of the human pilot mayinclude the drone be located outside of the view (e.g., outside of thehuman pilot's line of sight). In some implementations, the drone 140 nthat is housed remotely from the pilot 110-n may be a drone housed atthe property 101 and belonging to the property 101 owner, resident,occupant, or the like. In some implementations, the drone 140 n may be adrone that is housed in a drone hub of multiple different dronesavailable for multiple different purposes. For example, a drone of thedrone hub may be permanently boarded at the drone hub or a drone of thedrone hub may be rented, as necessary, by a human pilot 110 n. By way ofexample, a drone of a drone hub may be used at a first time to deliver apackage as part of a delivery service. However, in such an example, thesame drone may be used by a pilot 110-n at a second time to visuallyverify an alarm event.

Responsive to the triggering of an alarm at a property 101, a messagesuch as an alarm event notification may be transmitted by a component ofthe monitoring system 100 such as the monitoring system control unit 110(or monitoring application server 190) to the central alarm stationserver 192 (or other component of the monitoring system 100). Thecentral alarm station server 192 (or other component of the monitoringsystem 100) may (i) receive the message notifying the central alarmstation server 192 (or other component of the monitoring system 100) ofthe occurrence of an alarm event at the property, and then (ii) select aparticular human pilot of the multiple different human pilots 110-1,110-2, 110-n to pilot a drone to a property that triggered the alarm toverify the occurrence of an alarm event at the property.

Selection of a particular human pilot from the group of human pilots110-1, 110-2, 110-n may be based on a variety of factors including (i)the human pilot's position in a queue of available human pilots able toassist with remotely piloting a drone to verify an alarm event, (ii) thelocation of the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n relative to the property101 where the alarm event was triggered, (iii) the location ofrespective drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n piloted by the human pilot 110-1,110-2, 110-n relative to the property, (iv) the current availability(e.g., pilot status) of the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n to pilot adrone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n to the property 101, (v) the capabilities ofthe drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n that is under the command of the humanpilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n, (vi) the capabilities of the pilot 110-1,110-2, 110-n that is to pilot the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n (vii) thefeedback rating associated with the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-nbased on past flights, (viii) the compensation requirements of the humanpilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n, or any combination thereof.

Subsequent to being selected by the central alarm station server 192 (orother component of the monitoring system 100), the selected human pilotcan instruct a particular drone of the multiple drones to deploy. Theselected human pilot can then pilot the deployed drone to the property101 that triggered the alarm using one or more drone control systems120-1, 120-2, 120-n. Each drone control system 120-1, 120-2, 120-n mayalso include a display such as display 122 that enables a human pilotsuch as pilot 110-1 view the video feed generated by one or more dronecameras 140 a.

Each drone control system 120-1, 120-2, 120-n (or each drone 140-1,140-2, 140-n) can be configured to communicate with one or moremonitoring system components installed at the property 101 using thenetwork 170. For example, the one or more drone control systems 120-1,120-2, 120-n (or the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n) can be configured toreceive monitoring system information from the monitoring system controlunit 110, monitoring application server 190, monitoring system sensors120, 122 installed at the property 101, monitoring system cameras 130,132, 134, 136 installed at the property 101, or any combination thereofvia the network 170. The monitoring system information may includesensor data generated by one or more sensors 120, 122 installed at theproperty 101, image data captured by one or more cameras 130, 132, 134,136 installed at the property 101, sensor configuration data, cameraconfiguration data, or a combination thereof. Configuration data mayinclude, for example, information describing the location (e.g., GPSlocation, address, or the like) of the sensor or camera, position ofsensor or camera within a property (e.g., living room, kitchen, frontyard, back yard, right-back corner of house, height of a camera, or thelike), the orientation a camera (e.g., angled downwards 45 degrees,angled downwards towards backyard at 45 degrees, or the like), or anycombination thereof. Accordingly, by way of one example, the cameraconfiguration may include, for example, the height the camera is mountedat, the angle the camera is mounted at, a GPS location where the camerais located, or a combination thereof.

However, camera configuration data, and use thereof, need not be solimited. Specifically, there are other types of configuration data themonitoring system may use and other ways the monitoring system candetermine, or represent, a camera's position and orientation. Forexample, using a three-dimensional map of the property where the camerais located, the monitoring system can estimate one or more of a camera'sintrinsic parameters such as focal length, sensor size, distortionparameters, or the like in order to determine the projection of thecamera into space. Alternatively, or in addition, homography can be usedto represent the transformation between the camera's image plane and theground plane.

The one or more drone control systems 120-1, 120-2, 120-n (or the drone140-1, 140-2, 140-n) may use the monitoring system information receivedfrom the monitoring system control unit 110, monitoring applicationserver 190, the one or more sensors 120, 122, the one or more cameras130, 132, 134, 136, or a combination thereof, to generate rendering datathat, when rendered by the one or more drone control systems 120-1,120-2, 120-n (or the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n), can be used to generatea drone feed overlay. The drone feed overlay can help a human pilot topilot a drone to quickly navigate the drone to one or more particularlocations in order to verify an alarm event. In those implementationswhere the monitoring system information is received, and processed by,the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n to generate the rendering data for thedrone feed overlay, the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n may stream (i) thevideo feed from the drone camera 140 a and (ii) the rendering data forthe drone feed overlay back to the respective drone control system120-1, 120-2, 120-n that is being used to pilot the drone 140-1, 140-2,140-n. In other implementations, one or more monitoring systemcomponents such as the monitoring application server 190, monitoringsystem control unit 110, or other component of the monitoring system 100may generate rendering data based on monitoring system information andproviding the generated rendering data to a drone control system 120-1,120-2, or 120-n for use in generating a drone feed overlay on top of adrone video feed.

With reference to the example of FIG. 1, a monitoring system 100 maydetect sensor data, camera data, or both that is indicative of an event,and trigger an alarm. For example, the monitoring system 100 may detectsensor data, camera data, or both that are indicative of the presence ofa trespasser 105. Responsive to a determination that an alarm has beentriggered at the property 101, a component of the monitoring system 100such as the monitoring system control unit 110, the monitoringapplication server 190, or the central alarm station server 192 select adrone pilot such as drone pilot 110-1 to deploy and pilot a drone 140-1to the property 101 in order to visually verify the detected alarmevent. The pilot 110-1 may be selected based on a variety of factorsincluding (i) the human pilot's position in a queue of available humanpilots able to assist with remotely piloting a drone to verify an alarmevent, (ii) the location of the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n relativeto the property 101 where the alarm event was triggered, (iii) thelocation of respective drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n piloted by the humanpilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n relative to the property, (iv) the currentavailability (e.g., pilot status) of the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-nto pilot a drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n to the property 101, (v) thecapabilities of the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n that is under the commandof the human pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n, (vi) the capabilities of thepilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n that is to pilot the drone 140-1, 140-2, 140-n(vii) the feedback rating associated with the human pilot 110-1, 110-2,110-n based on past flights, (viii) the compensation requirements of thehuman pilot 110-1, 110-2, 110-n, or any combination thereof.

The pilot 110-1 can then use the drone control system 110-1 to deploythe drone 140-1. The drone control system 120-1 can be used to pilot thedrone 140-1 remotely. The pilot 110-1 can monitor a video feed receivedfrom one or more drone 140-1 cameras 140 a using the display 122 of thedrone control system 120-1. In some implementations, the drone pilot110-1 may navigate the drone using conventional aviation techniques suchas a GPS guidance system, enroute charts, inertial reference systemdata, radio navigation signals, a compass, or the like. Alternatively,or in addition, the drone pilot 110-1 may navigate the drone 140-1 usinggraphical elements rendered on the display 122 of the drone controlsystem 120-1 based on monitoring system information. The graphicalelements may be overlayed on top of a drone video feed in order toprovide navigational guidance to the drone pilot 110-1 when the dronepilot 110-1 is navigating the drone 140-1. The drone video feed andmonitoring system information used to generate the graphical elementsusing the network 170. The network 170 may include a WAN, a LAN, acellular network, the Internet, or a combination thereof.

By way of example, after drone 140-1 deployment at stage A, theinterface 122 a may be output on the display 122 of the drone controlsystem 120-1. The interface 122 a is an example of a type of visualoverlay that may be generated on top of a drone camera feed streamed tothe display 122 at stage A from the drone camera 140 a. For example, atstage A, the drone 140-1 is in flight between the drone's 140-2 chargingstation 142-1 and the property 101 and the drone's 140-1 camera 140 a iscaptured images of a tree and a lake. Concurrently, one or morecomponents of the monitoring system 100 are broadcasting monitoringsystem information related to the alarm event detected at the property101 as a result of the detection of motion by a trespasser 105. Themonitoring system information may be broadcast across the network 170.The drone control system 120-1 can receive (i) the monitoring systeminformation indicative of detected motion at the property 101,monitoring system information indicating an alarm event is detected atproperty 101, or both and (ii) the streamed video feed from the drone140-1. The drone control system 120-1 can determine a location of thealarm event based on the received monitoring system information andgenerate rendering data that, when processed by the drone control system120-1 generates a graphical elements 160 that can be overlayed on top ofthe drone 140-1 camera's 140 a video feed indicating the direction ofthe detected alarm event. In this example, the graphical element 160 mayinclude an arrow displayed on top of the video feed of the tree and lakethat shows the drone pilot 110-1 a direction that the drone pilot 110-1needs to fly to reach the location associated with the alarm event atproperty 101. In some implementations, the graphical element 160 may beaccompanied by a direction (e.g., S, SW, W, SE, E, NE, N, NW), adistance to target (e.g., 15 miles), or other navigational informationthat may be helpful to the drone pilot 110-1.

The monitoring system 100 can continue to monitor sensor data, cameradata, or both, generated by monitoring system 100 components installedat the property 101 after an alarm event has been detected at theproperty 101. For example, at stage B, the monitoring system 100 cancapture camera data generated by the camera 132 at a first time T0 thatdepicts a trespasser 105 at an initial location. The monitoring system100 can provide first monitoring system information to the drone controlsystem 120-1 that describes the initial location of the trespasser 105at time T0. Then, the monitoring system can capture camera datagenerated by a camera 134 at a second time T1 that depicts thetrespasser 105 at a subsequent location. The monitoring system 100 canthen provide second monitoring system information to the drone controlsystem 120-1 that describes the subsequent location of the trespasser105 at time T1. The drone control system 120-1 can then process thefirst monitoring system information and the second monitoring systeminformation to generate rendering data that, when processed by the dronecontrol system 120-1, outputs an interface 122 b on the display 122 ofthe drone control system 120-1 that includes the graphical element 162overlayed on top of the drone 140-1 camera's 140 a video feed. In thisexample at stage B, the graphical element 162 may include a navigationpath that the detected trespasser 105 is following.

In some implementations, the navigation path shown by graphical element162 may include an actual path followed by the trespasser 105 asdetected by monitoring system information received by the drone controlsystem 120-1. Alternatively, in some implementations, the navigationpath shown by graphical element 162 may be based on an actual pathfollowed by the trespasser 105, a projected path that the trespasser 105is likely to follow, or a combination thereof. A projected path may bebased, at least in part, on projected trajectory that the trespasser 105is likely navigating in view of the path the trespasser 105 haspreviously traveled.

Alternatively, or in addition, the drone control system 120-1 may alsogenerate, based on received monitoring system information, renderingdata that, when processed by the drone control system 120-1, results inthe highlighting of one or more relevant objects in a drone video feed.For example, the drone control system 120-1 can generate rendering that,when process by the drone control system 120-1, highlights a house thatis located at an address where the alarm event was detected, a detectedtrespasser, a detected emergency event (e.g., a fire, a leak, a poweroutage, or the like), one or more pre-defined obstacles, or the like.

In some implementations, the drone control system 120-1, 120-2, or 120-nmay access three dimensional information, such as an elevation model, ofthe property. The drone control system 120-1, 120-2, or 120-n may accessthe three dimensional information from an online source or the monitorcontrol unit of each property may provide the three dimensionalinformation to the drone control system 120-1, 120-2, or 120-n. In someinstances, the monitor control unit may generate the three dimensionalinformation during calibration of the camera of the drone or anothercamera on the property or during a site survey. The drone control system120-1, 120-2, or 120-n may use the three dimensional information toimprove accuracy when determining where to overlay the graphical element160 or the graphical element 162. The drone control system 120-1, 120-2,or 120-n may compare the three dimensional information to the image toidentify an appropriate location for the graphical element 160 or thegraphical element 162.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process 200 for generating drone video feedoverlays based on property monitoring system data. Generally, theprocess 200 may include receiving, by a drone control system and from amonitoring system, monitoring system information describing one or moresensed attributes of a property where an alarm event has been detected(210), determining, by the drone control system, location informationrelated to an alarm event that has been detected at the property (220),generating, by the drone control system, rendering data that, whenprocessed by the drone control system, generates a visual overlaycomprising one or more graphical navigational elements on top of thevideo feed received from a drone (230), generating, by the drone controlsystem and based on processing the generated rendering data, the one ormore graphical navigational elements as a visual overlay on top of thevideo feed received from the drone (240).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of system components that can be used toimplement a system for generating drone video feed overlays based onproperty monitoring system data.

The electronic system 300 includes a network 305, a monitor control unit310-1, one or more user devices 340-1, 350, monitoring applicationserver 390, and a central alarm station server 392.

The network 305 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 305. Forexample, the network 305 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the monitoring system control unit310-1, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350, the monitoringapplication server 390, and the central alarm station server 392. Thenetwork 105 may include, for example, one or more of the Internet, WideArea Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), analog or digitalwired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), a cellularnetwork, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), radio, television, cable,satellite, or any other delivery or tunneling mechanism for carryingdata. Network 305 may include multiple networks or subnetworks, each ofwhich may include, for example, a wired or wireless data pathway. Thenetwork 305 may include a circuit-switched network, a packet-switcheddata network, or any other network able to carry electroniccommunications (e.g., data or voice communications). For example, thenetwork 305 may include networks based on the Internet protocol (IP),asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), the PSTN, packet-switched networksbased on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, or other comparable technologies andmay support voice using, for example, VoIP, or other comparableprotocols used for voice communications. The network 305 may include oneor more networks that include wireless data channels and wireless voicechannels. The network 305 may be a wireless network, a broadbandnetwork, or a combination of networks including a wireless network and abroadband network.

The monitoring system control unit 310-1 includes a controller 312-1 anda network module 314-1. The controller 312-1 is configured to control amonitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) that includesthe monitoring system control unit 310-1. In some implementations, thecontroller 312-1 may include a processor or other control circuitryconfigured to execute instructions of a program that controls operationof an alarm system. In these examples, the controller 312-1 may beconfigured to receive input from sensors, detectors, or other devicesincluded in the alarm system and control operations of devices includedin the alarm system or other household devices (e.g., a thermostat, anappliance, lights, etc.). For example, the controller 312-1 may beconfigured to control operation of the network module 314-1 included inthe monitoring system control unit 310-1.

The network module 314-1 is a communication device configured toexchange communications over the network 305. The network module 314-1may be a wireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 305. For example, the network module314-1 may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 314-1 may transmit alarmdata over a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voicecommunication session over a wireless voice channel. The wirelesscommunication device may include one or more of a LTE module, a GSMmodule, a radio modem, cellular transmission module, or any type ofmodule configured to exchange communications in one of the followingformats: LTE, GSM or GPRS, CDMA, EDGE or EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, orIP.

The network module 314-1 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 305 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 314-1 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 314-1 may be an Ethernet network card configured toenable the monitoring system control unit 310-1 to communicate over alocal area network and/or the Internet. The network module 314-1 alsomay be a voiceband modem configured to enable the alarm panel tocommunicate over the telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone Systems(POTS).

The monitoring system that includes the monitoring system control unit310-1 includes one or more sensors or detectors. For example, themonitoring system may include multiple sensors 320-1. The sensors 320-1may include a contact sensor, a motion sensor, a glass break sensor, orany other type of sensor included in an alarm system or security system.The sensors 320-1 also may include an environmental sensor, such as atemperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, alight sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an airquality sensor, etc. The sensors 320-1 further may include a healthmonitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensor that monitorstaking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a blood sugar sensor,a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g., bodily fluids)on the bed mat, etc. In some implementations, the sensors 320-1 mayinclude a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor that identifies aparticular article that includes a pre-assigned RFID tag.

The monitoring system control unit 310-1 communicates with the module322-1 and the camera 330-1 to perform surveillance or monitoring. Themodule 322-1 is connected to one or more devices that enable homeautomation control. For instance, the module 322-1 may be connected toone or more lighting systems and may be configured to control operationof the one or more lighting systems. Also, the module 322-1 may beconnected to one or more electronic locks at the property and may beconfigured to control operation of the one or more electronic locks(e.g., control Z-Wave locks using wireless communications in the Z-Waveprotocol). Further, the module 322-1 may be connected to one or moreappliances at the property and may be configured to control operation ofthe one or more appliances. The module 322-1 may include multiplemodules that are each specific to the type of device being controlled inan automated manner. The module 322-1 may control the one or moredevices based on commands received from the monitoring system controlunit 310-1. For instance, the module 322-1 may cause a lighting systemto illuminate an area to provide a better image of the area whencaptured by a camera 330-1.

The camera 330-1 may be a video/photographic camera or other type ofoptical sensing device configured to capture images. For instance, thecamera 330-1 may be configured to capture images of an area within abuilding monitored by the monitoring system control unit 310-1. Thecamera 330-1 may be configured to capture single, static images of thearea and also video images of the area in which multiple images of thearea are captured at a relatively high frequency (e.g., thirty imagesper second). The camera 330-1 may be controlled based on commandsreceived from the monitoring system control unit 310-1.

The camera 330-1 may be triggered by several different types oftechniques. For instance, a Passive Infra Red (PIR) motion sensor may bebuilt into the camera 330-1 and used to trigger the camera 330-1 tocapture one or more images when motion is detected. The camera 330-1also may include a microwave motion sensor built into the camera andused to trigger the camera 330-1 to capture one or more images whenmotion is detected. The camera 330-1 may have a “normally open” or“normally closed” digital input that can trigger capture of one or moreimages when external sensors (e.g., the sensors 320-1, PIR, door/window,etc.) detect motion or other events. In some implementations, the camera330-1 receives a command to capture an image when external devicesdetect motion or another potential alarm event. The camera 330-1 mayreceive the command from the controller 312-1 or directly from one ofthe sensors 320-1.

In some implementations, the camera 330-1 triggers integrated orexternal illuminators (e.g., Infra Red, Z-wave controlled “white”lights, lights controlled by the module 322-1, etc.) to improve imagequality when the scene is dark. An integrated or separate light sensormay be used to determine if illumination is desired and may result inincreased image quality.

The camera 330-1 may be programmed with any combination of time/dayschedules, system “arming state”, or other variables to determinewhether images should be captured or not when triggers occur. The camera330-1 may enter a low-power mode when not capturing images. In thiscase, the camera 330-1 may wake periodically to check for inboundmessages from the controller 312-1. The camera 330-1 may be powered byinternal, replaceable batteries if located remotely from the monitoringcontrol unit 310-1. The camera 330-1 may employ a small solar cell torecharge the battery when light is available. Alternatively, the camera330-1 may be powered by the controller's 312-1 power supply if thecamera 330-1 is co-located with the controller 312-1.

In some implementations, the camera 330-1 communicates directly with themonitoring application server 390 over the Internet. In theseimplementations, image data captured by the camera 330-1 does not passthrough the monitoring system control unit 310-1 and the camera 330-1receives commands related to operation from the monitoring applicationserver 390.

The sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1 communicatewith the controller 312-1 over communication links 324, 326-1, and328-1. The communication links 324, 326-1, and 328-1 may be a wired orwireless data pathways configured to transmit signals from the sensors320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1 to the controller 312-1.The sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1 maycontinuously transmit sensed values to the controller 312-1,periodically transmit sensed values to the controller 312-1, or transmitsensed values to the controller 312-1 in response to a change in asensed value.

The communication links 324, 326-1, and 328-1 may include a localnetwork. The sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, the camera 330-1, and thecontroller 312-1 may exchange data and commands over the local network.The local network may include 802.11 “Wi-Fi” wireless Ethernet (e.g.,using low-power Wi-Fi 33 chipsets), Z-Wave, ZigBee, Bluetooth,“Homeplug” or other “Powerline” networks that operate over AC wiring,and a Category 3 (CATS) or Category 3 (CAT6) wired Ethernet network. Thelocal network may be a mesh network constructed based on the devicesconnected to the mesh network.

The central alarm station server 392 is an electronic device configuredto provide alarm monitoring service by exchanging communications withthe monitoring system control unit 310-1, the one or more mobile devices340-1, 350, the monitoring application server 390, and the central alarmstation server 392 over the network 305. For example, the central alarmstation server 392 may be configured to monitor alarm events generatedby the monitoring system control unit 310-1. In this example, thecentral alarm station server 392 may exchange communications with thenetwork module 314-1 included in the monitoring system control unit310-1 to receive information regarding alarm events detected by themonitoring system control unit 310-1. The central alarm station server392 also may receive information regarding alarm events from the one ormore mobile devices 340-1, 350, and/or the monitoring application server390.

The central alarm station server 392 is connected to multiple terminals.The terminals may be used by operators to process alarm events. Forexample, the central alarm station server 392 may route alarm data tothe terminals to enable an operator to process the alarm data. Theterminals may include general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop personalcomputers, workstations, or laptop computers) that are configured toreceive alarm data from a server in the central alarm station server 392and render a display of information based on the alarm data. Forinstance, the controller 312-1 may control the network module 314-1 totransmit, to the central alarm station server 392, alarm data indicatingthat a sensor 320 detected a door opening when the monitoring system 300was armed. The central alarm station server 392 may receive the alarmdata and route the alarm data to a particular terminal of the one ormore terminals for processing by an operator associated with theparticular terminal. The particular terminal may render a display to theoperator that includes information associated with the alarm event(e.g., the name of the user of the alarm system, the address of thebuilding the alarm system is monitoring, the type of alarm event, etc.)and the operator may handle the alarm event based on the displayedinformation.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server 390 may routealarm data received from the network module 314-1 or the one or moreuser devices 340-1, 350 to the central alarm station server 392. Forexample, the monitoring application server 390 may transmit the alarmdata to the central alarm station server 392 over the network 305.

The monitoring application server 390 may store sensor and image datareceived from the monitoring system and perform analysis of sensor andimage data received from the monitoring system. Based on the analysis,the monitoring application server 390 may communicate with and controlaspects of the monitoring system control unit 310-1 or the one or moreuser devices 340-1, 350.

The system 300 may also include one or more drone devices 362 a, 362 b.The drone devices 362 a, 362 b may include any robotic device that canbe deployed to visually verify an alarm event at a property. The dronedevice 362 a, 362 b may include a drone that travels on land, a dronethat travels in the air, a drone that travels across water, a drone thattravels underneath water, or a combination thereof. The drone device 362a, 362 b may be configured to communicate with any of the componentsdepicted in FIG. 3 using the network 305. In some implementations, thedrone device 362 a may be capable of autonomous flight. Alternatively,the drone device 362 a, 362 b may be remotely piloted by a drone pilotusing the drone control system 364 a, 364 n. For example, a drone pilotmay input navigational commands using the drone control system 364 a,364 b that cause the drone device 362 a, 362 b to respond. For example,the drone control systems 364 a, 364 b may include an input device suchas a yoke that can be used navigate the drone device 362 a, 362 b.

The drone control system 364 a, 364 b may communicate any of thecomponents described in system 300 using the network 305. The dronecontrol systems 362 a, 362 b can obtain monitoring system informationfrom one or more local monitoring systems 305-1 to 305-N. For example,in some implementations, the drone control systems 362 a, 362 b mayobtain monitoring system information from a single local monitoringsystem 305-1. Alternatively, or in addition, the drone control systems362 a, 362 b may obtain monitoring information from different localmonitoring systems 305-1, 305-N that is received and analyzedindependently. Alternatively, or in addition, the drone control systems362 a, 362 b may obtain monitoring information from different localmonitoring systems 305-1, 305-N that is analyzed together as part of acollaborative network 380 of local monitoring system 305-1, 305-N. Suchan implementations may be beneficial for use in generated a graphicalelement representing a path of a trespasser as an overlay of a dronevideo feed as the trespasser travels from property to property. In someimplementations, the trespasser may travel from property to property toevade capture by law enforcement, avoid detection by the drone devices362 a, 362 b, or the like.

Each drone device 362 a, 362 b may be associated with a drone charger360 a, 360 b. For example, the drone device 362 a, 362 b may use thedrone chargers 360 a, 360 b to recharge a drone device battery. Thechargers 360 a, 360 b may include a charging station that may requirethat one or more portions of the drone device 362 a, 362 b make physicalcontact with the cameras 360 a, 360 b. Alternatively, the drone charger360 a, 360 b may include one or more wireless chargers. For example, thedrone chargers 360 a, 360 b may begin wireless charging of the dronechargers 360 a, 360 battery based on determining that the drone device362 a, 3624 is within a predetermined distance of the drone chargingstation 360 a, 360 b.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server 390 mayactivate a collaborative network 380 that enables the monitoringapplication server 390 to obtain monitoring system data such as imagedata, sensor data or both from multiple different monitoring systems310-1 to 310-N that are part of respective local monitoring systems305-1 to 305-N. The monitoring application server 390 may activate acollaborative network between multiple properties if, for example, usersfrom each of the multiple properties have opted into an object trackingservice. The local monitoring systems 305-1 to 305-N may be installed atdifferent respective properties. Once activated, the collaborativenetwork 380 enables to the monitoring application server 390 or centralalarm station server 392 to analyze feeds from cameras 330-1 to 330-N asif the cameras 330-1 to 330-N were part of the same local monitoringnetwork. For example, In response to determining that a break-inoccurred at a property where location monitoring system 305-1 isinstalled, the monitoring application server 390 may be being obtainingmonitoring system data such as sensor data, image data, or both,generated by sensors 320-N and cameras 330-N.

The monitoring application server 390 is connected to multipleterminals. The terminals may be used by operators to process alarmevents. For example, the monitoring application server 390 may routealarm data to the terminals to enable an operator to process the alarmdata. The terminals may include general-purpose computers (e.g., desktoppersonal computers, workstations, or laptop computers) that areconfigured to receive alarm data from a server in the monitoringapplication server 390 and render a display of information based on thealarm data. For instance, the controller 312-1 may control the networkmodule 314-1 to transmit, to the monitoring application server 390,alarm data indicating that a sensor 320-1 detected a door opening whenthe monitoring system was armed. The monitoring application server 390may receive the alarm data and route the alarm data to the terminal forprocessing by an operator associated with the terminal. The terminal mayrender a display to the operator that includes information associatedwith the alarm event (e.g., the name of the user of the alarm system,the address of the building the alarm system is monitoring, the type ofalarm event, etc.) and the operator may handle the alarm event based onthe displayed information.

In some implementations, the terminals may be mobile devices or devicesdesigned for a specific function. Although FIG. 3 illustrates twoterminals for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) terminals.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server 390 mayexchange communications with an emergency service provider to transmitalarm signal data indicating an alarm event taking place within aproperty where the monitor control unit 310-1 may be located. Forinstance, the monitoring application server 390 may transmit incidentreports in response to the monitor control unit 310-1 detecting an alarmevent where a user requires emergency assistance. In such instances, themonitoring application server 390 may be an electronic device thatcommunicates essential safety information to an emergency responder suchas an emergency medical responder, a fire department, or a public safetyaccess point.

In some implementations, the monitoring application server 390 may be athird party entity separate from the central alarm station server 392.For example, the monitoring application server 390 may be a centralalarm station for a security service provider, a campus security serverin a school or school/university police department, or security gatewayfor a particular residential neighborhood. For instance, the monitoringapplication server 390 may be registered to the system 300 using aconnection bridge such as the application (e.g., the native surveillanceapplication 342-1), using a unique user identifier such as a usernameand password or a Quick Response (QR). In other instances, themonitoring application server 390 may be registered to users within aparticular geographic location (e.g., a gated residential community)where users within the geographical location are registered to aparticular monitoring application server 390, a particular central alarmstation server 392 of the particular location, or the like.

The one or more user devices 340-1, 350 are devices that host anddisplay user interfaces. For instance, the user device 340-1 is a mobiledevice that hosts one or more native applications (e.g., the nativesurveillance application 342-1). The user device 340-1 may be a cellularphone or a non-cellular locally networked device with a display. Theuser device 340-1 may include a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC,a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portable deviceconfigured to communicate over a network and display information. Forexample, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g.,as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The user device 340-1 may perform functionsunrelated to the monitoring system, such as placing personal telephonecalls, playing music, playing video, displaying pictures, browsing theInternet, maintaining an electronic calendar, etc.

The user device 340-1 includes a native surveillance application 342-1.The native surveillance application 342-1 refers to a software/firmwareprogram running on the corresponding mobile device that enables the userinterface and features described throughout. The user device 340-1 mayload or install the native surveillance application 342-1 based on datareceived over a network or data received from local media. The nativesurveillance application 342-1 runs on mobile devices platforms, such asiPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, etc. Thenative surveillance application 342-1 enables the user device 340-1 toreceive and process image and sensor data from the monitoring system.

The user device 350 may be a general-purpose computer (e.g., a desktoppersonal computer, a workstation, or a laptop computer) that isconfigured to communicate with the monitoring application server 390and/or the monitoring system control unit 310-1 over the network 305.The user device 350 may be configured to display a surveillancemonitoring user interface 352 that is generated by the user device 350or generated by the monitoring application server 390. For example, theuser device 350 may be configured to display a user interface (e.g., aweb page) provided by the monitoring application server 390 that enablesa user to perceive images captured by the camera 330-1 and/or reportsrelated to the monitoring system. Although FIG. 3 illustrates two userdevices for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) or fewer user devices.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350communicate with and receive monitoring system data from the monitoringsystem control unit 310-1 using the communication link 338. Forinstance, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 may communicate withthe monitoring system control unit 310-1 using various local wirelessprotocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee, HomePlug (Ethernetover powerline), or wired protocols such as Ethernet and USB, to connectthe one or more user devices 340-1, 350 to local security and automationequipment. The one or more user devices 340-1, 350 may connect locallyto the monitoring system and its sensors and other devices. The localconnection may improve the speed of status and control communicationsbecause communicating through the network 105 with a remote server(e.g., the monitoring application server 390) may be significantlyslower.

Although the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 are shown ascommunicating with the monitoring system control unit 310-1, the one ormore user devices 340-1, 350 may communicate directly with the sensorsand other devices controlled by the monitoring system control unit310-1. In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350replace the monitoring system control unit 310-1 and perform thefunctions of the monitoring system control unit 310-1 for localmonitoring and long range/offsite communication.

In other implementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350receive monitoring system data captured by the monitoring system controlunit 310-1 through the network 305. The one or more user devices 340-1,350 may receive the data from the monitoring system control unit 310-1through the network 305 or the monitoring application server 390 mayrelay data received from the monitoring system control unit 310-1 to theone or more user devices 340-1, 350 through the network 305. In thisregard, the monitoring application server 390 may facilitatecommunication between the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 and themonitoring system.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 may beconfigured to switch whether the one or more user devices 340-1, 350communicate with the monitoring system control unit 310-1 directly(e.g., through link 338) or through the monitoring application server390 (e.g., through network 305) based on a location of the one or moreuser devices 340-1, 350. For instance, when the one or more user devices340-1, 350 are located close to the monitoring system control unit 310-1and in range to communicate directly with the monitoring system controlunit 310-1, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 use directcommunication. When the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 are locatedfar from the monitoring system control unit 310-1 and not in range tocommunicate directly with the monitoring system control unit 310-1, theone or more user devices 340-1, 350 use communication through themonitoring application server 390.

Although the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 are shown as beingconnected to the network 105, in some implementations, the one or moreuser devices 340-1, 350 are not connected to the network 305. In theseimplementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 communicatedirectly with one or more of the monitoring system components and nonetwork (e.g., Internet) connection or reliance on remote servers isneeded.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 areused in conjunction with only local sensors and/or local devices in ahouse. In these implementations, the system 300 only includes the one ormore user devices 340-1, 350, the sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, andthe camera 330-1. The one or more user devices 340-1, 350 receive datadirectly from the sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1and sends data directly to the sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and thecamera 330-1. The one or more user devices 340-1, 350 provide theappropriate interfaces/processing to provide visual surveillance andreporting.

In other implementations, the system 300 further includes network 305and the sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1 areconfigured to communicate sensor and image data to the one or more userdevices 340-1, 350 over network 305 (e.g., the Internet, cellularnetwork, etc.). In yet another implementation, the sensors 320-1, themodule 322-1, and the camera 330-1 (or a component, such as abridge/router) are intelligent enough to change the communicationpathway from a direct local pathway when the one or more user devices340-1, 350 are in close physical proximity to the sensors 320-1, themodule 322-1, and the camera 330-1 to a pathway over network 305 whenthe one or more user devices 340-1, 350 are farther from the sensors320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1. In some implementations,the system leverages GPS information from the one or more user devices340-1, 350 to determine whether the one or more user devices 340-1, 350are close enough to the sensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera330-1 to use the direct local pathway or whether the one or more userdevices 340-1, 350 are far enough from the sensors 320-1, the module322-1, and the camera 330-1 that the pathway over network 305 isrequired. In other examples, the system leverages status communications(e.g., pinging) between the one or more user devices 340-1, 350 and thesensors 320-1, the module 322-1, and the camera 330-1 to determinewhether communication using the direct local pathway is possible. Ifcommunication using the direct local pathway is possible, the one ormore user devices 340-1, 350 communicate with the sensors 320-1, themodule 322-1, and the camera 330-1 using the direct local pathway. Ifcommunication using the direct local pathway is not possible, the one ormore user devices 340-1, 350 communicate with the sensors 320-1, themodule 322-1, and the camera 330-1 using the pathway over network 305.

In some implementations, the system 300 provides end users with accessto images captured by the camera 330-1 to aid in decision making. Thesystem 300 may transmit the images captured by the camera 330-1 over awireless WAN network to the user devices 340-1, 350. Becausetransmission over a wireless WAN network may be relatively expensive,the system 300 uses several techniques to reduce costs while providingaccess to significant levels of useful visual information.

In some implementations, a state of the monitoring system and otherevents sensed by the monitoring system may be used to enable/disablevideo/image recording devices (e.g., the camera 330-1). In theseimplementations, the camera 330-1 may be set to capture images on aperiodic basis when the alarm system is armed in an “Away” state, butset not to capture images when the alarm system is armed in a “Stay”state or disarmed. In addition, the camera 330-1 may be triggered tobegin capturing images when the alarm system detects an event, such asan alarm event, a door opening event for a door that leads to an areawithin a field of view of the camera 330-1, or motion in the area withinthe field of view of the camera 330-1. In other implementations, thecamera 130 may capture images continuously, but the captured images maybe stored or transmitted over a network when needed.

In some implementations, the drone devices 370 and 372 may analyze theimages captured during the scan of a property for the presence ofpersons in the captured images. For instance, the drone devices 370 and372 may use image processing techniques in an attempt to identify shapesin the captured images that resemble a human body. The drone devices 370and 372 also may analyze the images for moving objects (or use othertechniques to identify moving objects) and target imaging on capture ofmoving objects.

What is claimed is:
 1. A monitoring system that is configured to monitora property, the monitoring system comprising: a set of sensorsconfigured to generate sensor data reflecting one or more attributes ofa property, wherein the sensor data comprises at least a first cameraand a second camera; a drone configured to capture one or more images;and a monitor control unit configured to: based on the sensor data,detect a location of an alarm event at the property and an intrudernearby the property; receive, at a first time, an image collected by thefirst camera and including a representation of the intruder; based onthe image collected by the first camera, determine a first location ofthe intruder; receive, at a second time, an image collected by thesecond camera and including the representation of the intruder; based onthe image collected by the second camera, determine a second location ofthe intruder; based on the first location and the second location,determine a projected path of the intruder; provide, to the drone, aninstruction to (i) navigate along the projected path and (ii) collect avideo feed while navigating along the projected path; generate a firstgraphical element for the projected path; generate a second graphicalelement for the alarm event, wherein the second graphical elementcomprises one or more navigational indicators based on a presentlocation of the drone and the location of the alarm event; generate agraphical interface by overlaying the first graphical element and thesecond graphical element on the video feed, wherein the graphicalinterface is configured to adjust the one or more navigationalindicators based on changes to the present location of the drone inrelation to the location of the alarm event as the drone navigates alongthe projected path; and provide, for output, the graphical interface. 2.The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitor control unit isconfigured to: generate the first graphical element by generating a linebased on the projected path; and generate the graphical interface byadding the line to a portion of the video feed that includes theprojected path.
 3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitorcontrol unit is configured to: determine that the video feed includesthe representation of the intruder; generate the first graphical elementby generating a location marker based on determining that the video feedincludes the representation of the intruder; and generate the graphicalinterface by adding the location marker to the representation of theintruder in the video feed.
 4. The monitoring system of claim 1, whereinthe monitor control unit is configured to: provide the graphicalinterface by providing the graphical interface to a drone control systemthat is configured to receive navigation instructions for the drone. 5.The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitor control unit isconfigured to: generate the first graphical element by generating thefirst graphical element based on detecting the intruder nearby theproperty.
 6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitorcontrol unit is configured to generate the graphical interface by:determining a position on the video feed to overlay the first graphicalelement; and overlaying the first graphical element on the video feed atthe position.
 7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the drone iscontrolled by a human viewing the graphical interface.
 8. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: receiving, from a set of sensorsand by a monitoring system configured to monitor a property, sensor datareflecting one or more attributes of the property, wherein the sensordata comprises at least a first camera and a second camera; based on thesensor data, detecting, by the monitoring system, a location of an alarmevent at the property and an intruder nearby the property; receiving, ata first time and by the monitoring system, an image collected by thefirst camera and including a representation of the intruder; based onthe image collected by the first camera, determining, by the monitoringsystem, a first location of the intruder; receiving, at a second timeand by the monitoring system, an image collected by the second cameraand including the representation of the intruder; based on the imagecollected by the second camera, determining, by the monitoring system, asecond location of the intruder; based on the first location and thesecond location, determining, by the monitoring system, a projected pathof the intruder; providing, to a drone and by the monitoring system, aninstruction to (i) navigate along the projected path and (ii) collect avideo feed while navigating along the projected path; receiving, fromthe drone and by the monitoring system, data indicating the video feedwhile the drone is navigating along the projected path; generating, bythe monitoring system, a first graphical element for the projected path;generating, by the monitoring system, a second graphical element for thealarm event, wherein the second graphical element comprises one or morenavigational indicators based on a present location of the drone and thelocation of the alarm event; generating, by the monitoring system, agraphical interface by overlaying the first graphical element and thesecond graphical element on the video feed, wherein the graphicalinterface is configured to adjust the one or more navigationalindicators based on changes to the present location of the drone inrelation to the location of the alarm event as the drone navigates alongthe projected path; and providing, for output by the monitoring system,the graphical interface.
 9. The method of claim 8, comprising:generating the first graphical element by generating a line based on theprojected path; and generating the graphical interface by adding theline to a portion of the video feed that includes the projected path.10. The method of claim 8, comprising: determining, by the monitoringsystem, that the video feed includes the representation of the intruder;generating the first graphical element by generating, by the monitoringsystem, an location marker based on determining that the video feedincludes the representation of the intruder; and generating thegraphical interface by adding, by the monitoring system, the locationmarker to the representation of the intruder in the video feed.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, comprising: providing the graphical interface byproviding the graphical interface to a drone control system that isconfigured to receive navigation instructions for the drone.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, comprising: generating the first graphical element bygenerating the first graphical element based on detecting the intrudernearby the property.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein generating thegraphical interface comprises: determining, by the monitoring system, aposition on the video feed to overlay the first graphical element; andoverlaying, by the monitoring system, the first graphical element on thevideo feed at the position.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the droneis controlled by a human viewing the graphical interface.